The murder case has caused much outrage. (File)
Shivamogga:
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said his government has decided to transfer the Hubballi student murder case to the Crime Investigation Department and set up a special court for its speedy disposal.
Neha Hiremath (23), daughter of Congress councilor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College on Thursday. The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was subsequently arrested by the police.
Neha Hiremath was a first-year Master of Computer Application (MCA) student and Fayaz was previously her classmate.
“We have decided to hand over the Hubballi incident to the CID. We will set up a special court for it. The chargesheet must be filed within a time limit and the case must be disposed of, so a special court (will be constituted),” Siddaramaiah told reporters, adding, “I strongly condemn the murder of Neha.” Minister of the Interior Dr. G. Parameshwara said the CID will submit its report within 12 days.
“The CID team will go to Hubballi today and take over the case from the district police,” the minister said.
He said some people suspected the involvement of more people.
“Be that as it may, the CID will investigate and submit a report within 10 to 12 days. We have set this deadline. They can't take months to investigate. I am confident that the victim's parents will get justice and the truth will come out,” said Dr G Parameshwara.
Meanwhile, in response to a question, the Chief Minister said, “I have not been able to go to her (parents) residence. Our district minister and party workers were gone. HK Patil (Law Minister) is also going. I will go if I go there (Hubballi).” Siddaramaiah said the number of crime cases has come down during the Congress rule. “In 2023 (Congress rule), it was 1,295 (crime cases), from 2019-2022 for four years BJP it was 1,300, 1,318, 1,342 and 1,370 respectively,” he said.
The murder case, which has sparked widespread outrage, culminated in a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. While the ruling party says the motive for the killing was personal, the saffron party termed it a case of 'love jihad' and claimed it was a testimony to the alleged deterioration of law and order in the state.
BJP's student wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and other organizations aligned with Hindutva outfits have staged protests demanding justice and calling for stiff punishment for the accused. Similar protests have been reported in several other places.
Home Minister Parameshwara accused the BJP of stooping low in their statements against him and the chief minister regarding the case.
“If they use it for political gain, they will be disappointed. Their reaction shows that they are panicking because people are abandoning them (in the Lok Sabha elections),” he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
